Foundering Cowboys hoping for turnover turnaround

Updated 10:12 pm, Monday, October 29, 2012

This is a photo of Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys NFL football team. This image reflects the Dallas Cowboys active roster as of Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011. (AP Photo)

This is a photo of Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys NFL football team. This image reflects the Dallas Cowboys active roster as of Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011. (AP Photo)

Photo: Anonymous, CTR

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This is a photo of coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys football team. This image reflects the Dallas Cowboys roster as of May 20, 2009. (AP Photo)

This is a photo of coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys football team. This image reflects the Dallas Cowboys roster as of May 20, 2009. (AP Photo)

Photo: Anonymous, CTR

Foundering Cowboys hoping for turnover turnaround

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IRVING - With his team a disappointing 3-4 and 2½ games behind the surging New York Giants in the NFC East standings, Jason Garrett is painfully aware the clock is ticking on the foundering Dallas Cowboys' chances to catch the defending Super Bowl champions.

"There is a tremendous amount of urgency right now," the coach said Monday. "Each week's game is critical."

Next up for the Cowboys, losers of three of their last four games, is a trip to Atlanta to face the 7-0 NFC West-leading Falcons at the halfway mark of the season.

"Big game," Garrett said.

Dallas had a similar mindset entering Sunday's game against the Giants (6-2 after winning four straight), but it didn't stop them from falling behind 23-0 en route to a wild 29-24 loss.

Having avenged their 24-17 loss to the Cowboys in the season opener, the Giants need only to split their last eight games to finish 10-6. Dallas, meanwhile, needs to go 7-2 to reach that mark.

If they are going to turn the season around, the Cowboys must find a way to solve their crippling turnover problem.

After committing six turnovers against New York, including four interceptions thrown by Tony Romo, Dallas is last in the NFC with a takeaway-giveaway differential of minus-16. Atlanta is third in the conference at plus-10 after notching 17 takeaways.

The Cowboys have committed 19 turnovers. They had 21 all of last year. The only team in the NFL with a worse turnover differential is 1-6 Kansas City (minus-18).

Garrett labeled turnovers "as the single biggest factor" in the team's losses and even made a rare public admission that he's grown frustrated with the sloppy play.

"In this particular case, absolutely," Garrett said.

But that doesn't mean he's ready to throw up his hands and accept he has a turnover-plagued team.

Asked what he's tried to so far, Garrett said, "You try to attack it logically with statistics and explanation. You try to attack it using video in meetings. You try to attack it with drills. You try to attack it with positive examples of how it's done the right way by you and by other people. … And from all the different explanations you're giving, you've got to carry it to the game."